When Your Best Friend Is With the Girl You Love
by HPDrummerman
Summary: A follow-up one-shot taking place after the events of "Someday You'll Find Her, Charlie Brown". PEANUTS characters created by Charles M. Schulz.


When Your Best Friend Is With the Girl You Love

_A follow-up to _**Someday You'll Find Her, Charlie Brown**

Charlie Brown was walking by himself. Linus had just left for a picnic with Mary Jo, a girl Charlie had fallen in love with when seeing her on TV during a football game. His world was crushed. He couldn't bring himself to say how he felt about this girl. He was angry, not just at the fact Linus swooped up his crush, but he was mad at himself.

"I was braver trying to talk to the little red-haired girl," he said to himself. "Why couldn't I bring myself to talk to her?! Then _I'd_ be the one having milk and cookies with her, _I'd_ be the one going to that picnic, and _I'd_ be the one not miserable. Why am I such a loser?!"

At that moment, like clockwork, Lucy walked in. "Oh great!" Charlie Brown thought to himself. "She probably knows what happened and is ready to throw it in my face. I'd expect no less from her, especially with it being her brother!"

"Oh hey, Charlie Brown," Lucy greeted.

"Go ahead and say it!" Charlie Brown replied.

"Say what?" asked a confused Lucy.

"Say what you were about to say," Charlie Brown continued. "I'm sure Linus let you know about the girl he met and was the most beautiful girl he's ever met."

"You mean that Mary Jo girl he was going on about? What about her?"

"YOU DON'T KNOW?! HE WAS SUPPOSED TO HELP **ME **GET THAT GIRL AND TELL HER ABOUT **ME **AND HOW **I **SAW HER ON THE GAME THE OTHER DAY! BUT INSTEAD, YOUR BLOCKHEAD OF A BROTHER STOLE HER FROM ME LIKE A THIEF IN THE NIGHT! SO GO AHEAD AND SAY IT, LUCY! YOU'VE DONE IT BEFORE! SAY HOW NO ONE WILL EVER LOVE A WISHY-WASHY BLOCKHEAD LIKE ME! HOW LINUS FALLING FOR THE GIRL IS PROOF OF THAT! HOW MY OWN DOG GETTING INVITED IN INSTEAD OF ME IS TYPICAL OF MY LIFE! THAT I ALWAYS FAIL AT EVERYTHING THAT I DO, AND THIS IS FURTHER PROOF OF IT! SO GO AHEAD AND TELL ME THAT! BESIDES, I KNOW IT BY HEART, BUT YOU'LL ALWAYS REMIND ME OF THAT DAILY, SO WHY WOULD THIS DAY BE ANY DIFFERENT?! JUST GO AHEAD AND SAY IT! **GET IT OVER WITH AND I CAN CONTINUE TO BE MISERABLE THE REST OF THE DAY!**"

By the time Charlie Brown was finished, he was near tears. While he was waiting for Lucy to rip into him like she always did, he was not ready for what he did get.

"I'm so sorry, Charlie Brown," she said, softly. "You don't need to hear from me that you messed up, because you realized it anyways. Any other time, I may say that stuff, but not this time. What you need is a friend." Charlie Brown was crying by this point.

"It's okay to cry on my shoulder, Charlie Brown," Lucy continued. "I'll leave you alone today." And Charlie Brown crumpled into Lucy shoulder and wept uncontrollably. She hugged him, in a rare sign of compassion and comfort for her. Violet and Patty (Swanson) happened by.

"Aw look at the baby Charlie Brown cry," teased Violet.

"NOT TODAY, YOU BLOCKHEADS!" warned Lucy. "CHARLIE BROWN HAD A BAD DAY, EVEN FOR HIM, YESTERDAY! I'M NOT RUBBING SALT ON THE WOUNDS, AS USUAL! HE NEEDS A FRIEND, NOT SOME SNOBS KICKING HIM WHILE HE'S ALREADY DOWN! WE'LL GO BACK TO TEASING HIM IN A FEW WEEKS, LIKE NORMAL, BUT FOR NOW, **LEAVE HIM ALONE**! UNLESS, OF COURSE, YOU WANT ME TO KNOCK THAT SMUG SMILE OFF YOUR FACES?!" And the two girls fled from there.

"Th-thank you, Lucy," said Charlie Brown through racking sobs.

"Don't get used to it, though," said Lucy. "As I just told them, after you get through this, it's business, as usual."

"Trust me, I don't expect you to be any other way," Charlie Brown replied.

"As long as we're clear on that." And Lucy continued to comfort Charlie Brown. While she wouldn't be this warm to him often, he was glad that she did care, at least a little, even if she wouldn't show it often. It was the thing that set her apart from Violet and Patty. Lucy was Charlie Brown's harshest critic, but still had a soft spot for him, even if she wouldn't let it out all to often. And this was one of those days she would give him some caring and love.

**THE END**


End file.
